The benefits of fully integrated payment solutions for your spa business.
Integrated solutions make business operations easier and more efficient. Integrated payment solutions are just one example.
By Ali Mroueh,
Director of Partnerships at Book4Time
What are integrated solutions?
At the highest level, an integrated solution is where two technologies share and exchange data. This exchange can take place inconspicuously in the background or can present itself in the form of a module or a number of embedded fields within the user interface (UI). Here are a few examples of an integrated solution:
1. Point-of-Sale software shares end-of-day sales data with financial software. Financial software is able to ingest the sales data and populate financial reports and statements.
2. CRM software with a marketing automation module powered by a partnered solution. CRM software is able to create and run marketing campaigns using the CRM data within their platform.
3. Online Booking System captures and bills customer credit cards during the booking process. The online booking system integrates with the payment processing or billing solution to provide a seamless customer experience.
For more on integrations, see How integrations can improve your hospitality business
Benefits of fully integrated solutions; payment solutions
As consumers, we use our credit cards to pay for goods and services daily. These experiences take place online and in-store; whether it’s buying a pair of shoes on your phone while watching a show or running to the grocery store to buy milk. Whether we know it or not, we are users of integrated payment solutions. We, as consumers, benefit from these integrations through the form of convenience. You can purchase goods and services online within the comfort of your home and without being redirected to a number of webpages. You can tap your card at the grocery checkout without having to physically enter your PIN. Thank you, payment solutions.
Businesses also benefit from integrated payment solutions. A retailer can experience revenue growth by selling and accepting payments online. A health club can improve operational efficiency by capturing member credit cards and automating membership billing. To expand on these benefits, let’s take a look at how Book4Time leverages integrated payments.
Book4Time is a business management solution that enables customers to manage online bookings and facility operations. The integrated payment solution, Book4Time Pay, presents benefits to both the spa and spa guests. Here’s how it works:
1. The guest visits the spa website to book their treatment
2. Book4Time Pay captures the guest’s card details during the booking process
- the card details are securely saved to the guest’s profile
- the spa confirms appointment and can accept booking guarantees
3. The guest visits the spa, finishes their treatment and proceeds to checkout
4. Checkout:
- the spa can bill the credit card on file (same one used to book the appointment)
- the guest can use a different card to check out
- the guest can skip the front desk and checkout on their mobile device through an express checkout (using card on file or a different card)
The benefits of Book4Time Pay for the guest are convenience and a seamless guest experience. The guest was able to enter their credit card information once online and had the option to checkout without physical contact or waiting around.
The benefits of Book4Time Pay for the spa are improved operational efficiency, enhanced guest experience and potential revenue growth:
- Improved operational efficiency
- the spa captures the guest’s card information once as opposed to every visit
- the guest’s card is saved to their profile meaning less manual entry by the spa staff
- reduced human error now that the spa staff are not required to enter a card number or tender value
- Enhanced guest experience
- the guest can book online and enter their card details once
- the guest is given options to check out as convenient as possible
- Revenue growth
- the spa can accept booking guarantees for all guest bookings
- the spa can sell gift cards and upsell guest’s online
- greater efficiency can translate to a greater fill ratio
For more information or to learn more about Book4Time Pay, visit book4time.com/book4time-pay/